Sean Reyes: “Mr. Speaker, we have had a variety of testimony in these chambers. Sometimes issues get clouded. Sometimes they get…”

“Mr. Speaker, we have had a variety of testimony in these chambers. Sometimes issues get clouded. Sometimes they get clouded in the emotion. Let us ask ourselves, who wants or who supports this proposal? It is not INS and it is not the Border Patrol. It is not the Attorney General. It is not the Department of Defense. It is not the Secretary of Treasury. It is not, certainly, the Hernandez family, who suffered that tragedy in Redford, TX. It is not our border communities, who do not want to live under martial law. We have heard that there are two distinct and different missions. The military mission is combat. We do not want to see our military compromised by doing law enforcement type work that subsequently would jeopardize the security of this country and the security of our troops. The mission of law enforcement is to protect communities. They are trained for this kind of job. Let us keep this in the hands of law enforcement. Mr. Speaker, let us not send troops throughout this country. Let us not invoke martial law in this country simply because Mexico and other countries choose to deploy troops along their borders. We have to ask ourselves, is this proposal fair? Is this proposal fair to the Hernandez family? How fair is this proposal to our own military? How fair is it to the corporal that came that close to being tried for manslaughter? Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against this proposal.”